VOLUME 15, NUMBER 35
THE BUTTERCUP MONTH
APRIL 21, 1987
Tribal Council, Missoula County agree on land-use planning authority
The Tribes and Missoula County's commissioners have agreed that "the Tribes are the proper agency" to conduct land-use planning in the Jocko-Evaro area -- property that is within both Flathead Reservation and Missoula's county boundaries.
In an April 13 letter to Jocko-Evaro residents, Patrick O'Herren of the Missoula County planning office explained that when they began con-
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sidering an update of their 1975 comprehensive land-use plan, they decided to invite input from the Tribes and Lake County.
The main reason, he wrote, was the hope that "by including the Tribes and Lake County in the effort, a plan could be devised that would address all lands in the area, regardless of political boundaries. Such a document could conceivably help avoid the establishment of conflicting land uses on parcels adjoining one another, yet governed by separate agencies.
"Unfortunately," he noted, "Lake County was unable to join in this effort.
"The jurisdictional powers of the Tribes and the Missoula County
Tribal leaders last week walked out of another meeting with a federal official who, they say, took action before consulting with the affected tribes.
This time, it wasn't Ross Swimmer of the Interior Dept. It was John Melcher of the Senate.
commissioners were thoroughly researched by both agencies' legal staff," he went on. "On land in Missoula County and within Tribal boundaries, it was the finding of these attorneys, the county commissioners, the Tribal Council, Missoula's planning staff, and Missoula's general-services director, that in this instance, the best, most equitable and most beneficial treatment of future land-use planning involves the transfer of governmental authority to conduct such planning to the Tribes."
The formal details of the agreement will be worked on in the next several weeks.
Melcher introduced a bill April 10 that calls for a two-year moratorium on all Tribally sponsored taxes, pending further study by Congress.
The Montana Democrat called a meeting April 15 in Great Falls to tell the state's tribes what he, and co-concludes on page four)
New enrollment, post-n-pole meeting: April 27
The general meeting to discuss post and pole harvesting (taxation and other issues) and enrollment has been rescheduled from March 2\\ to Monday, April 27.
The meeting will begin at 5:30 with dinner at the St. Ignatius community center.
Tax moratorium bill protested with walk-out